The Ohio Senate adjourned the lame duck session last night without overriding Governor Mike DeWine’s veto of a bill restricting his ability to issue health orders to shut down businesses, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports:
Senate President Larry Obhof says his members have been working out differences with DeWine, his fellow Republican. Obhof also says another bill the Senate passed late Tuesday night does include language that health orders must apply equally to all businesses.
“So that you can’t have the situation we had last spring where small businesses get closed but larger ones because they are deemed essential get to stay open," Obhof says.
Following the statewide shutdown last spring, there was an outcry from many Ohioans and businesses that wanted the ability to limit the governor's health orders. There have been protests at the Statehouse over the issue and most recently, outside Obhof's Medina home.
Republican lawmakers in both chambers also ran into another problem when trying to come up with enough votes to override the veto since some of them have been out due to COVID.
